Group led by Julau MP gets opportunity to meet detainees

KUCHING: Two hours northwest of Siem Reap International Airport is the Banteay Mancheay Prison, currently housing 47 Malaysians arrested for allegedly being involved in an online gambling syndicate two months ago.

A member of the delegation led by Julau member of parliament Larry Sng, which visited the detainees yesterday, said the journey was smooth although the prison was located on the outskirts of Siem Reap.

“When we arrived at the prison, we were told that we could not bring our cellphones and cameras.

“We had to leave them in the car. I tried to take a photo outside the prison but was told to delete it,” said a member of the delegation who declined to be named.

The delegation, including two representatives from the detainees’ families — Yusuf Islam Abdul Halik’s mother Zunita Sedini and Chong Mei Lan, the sister of another detainee, were given 30 minutes to meet their loved ones.

The 47 detainees gathered at a hall in the prison. However, no interviews were allowed.

A few young girls were seen hugging a female reporter from Sarawak, begging her to convey their messages to their parents.

“Don’t worry about us, we have one another (referring to other Malaysians detained).

“Please ask my parents to take care of themselves and their health.”

A member of the delegation said although the prison was quite rundown and some detainees had rashes, they didn’t complain much.

“All they want is to go home as they miss their family. Many burst into tears when told to return to their respective cells,” he said.

Zunita was sad but relieved after seeing that her eldest son was safe.

Although she was not sure what the next course of action was as the detainees had not yet been charged in court, Zunita said she would continue to pray for the safe return of all the Malaysians.

A total of 47 Malaysians have been detained in the prison since Dec 11.

The Malaysians, aged between 19 and 44, include 40 from Sarawak, three from Sabah and four from the peninsula.

They went to Cambodia lured by the promise of high-paying jobs.

Instead, they were duped by a “recruitment agency”, which was actually a front for a human trafficking syndicate.